• The new ERF cab has returned the marque to
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the limelight, but many operators are still getting good service from earlier models. We went to Normand Commercials at Greenford to see how an eight-year-old B6 is bearing up under the strain.
Yas Patel took us over the vehicle, which he reckons is as reliable as any, and easier to work on than most. The turbocharged Cummins 250 engine is a well proven unit which needs regular filter changes to stay healthy.
The only weak points regularly found at Normands are the flexible pipe that carries compressed air from the compressor to the air tank, and the hub-reduction gears in the GKN rear axle. In the latter case they can be replaced by stronger components.
When a vehicle reaches the age of this one, whether it is still economical to run, or is going to cost more than it is worth to keep on the road, depends on how it has been maintained in its early life. If the multitude of bearings and bushes, from gearchange linkage to spring shackle are not to render the vehicle uneconomic, they must have been kept well lubricated. If well greased, Patel reckons ball joints and bushes will last for ever.
Normands is part of the Allied Lyons group, and as such tends the group's transport needs in the area. The workshop operates from six in the morning to nine at night, and although the work is mostly done on ERFs, it caters for every type of vehicle from cars upwards.
The Normands workshop is a busy space, where no area is left unused, and they reckon to get between 630 and 800 paid for hours every week with a workforce of 17 fitters. To increase the range of service, Normands has recently opened a ministry approved tachograph service centre.
• by Richard Longworth